Is it Really Spring ??

The calendar says Spring, but it's not.

It's been spring for a week now but not really here in Baltimore.  We have had snow, cold, wind, rain and one day of warmth that lasted barely 8 hours.  I know I'll be complaining once it gets hot but this is ridiculous.  The weather forecasters say we will barely be at normal temps (around 55) for the next 7 days.  This is putting a hurting on my yard work.  I'm ready to plant the flowers and cut the grass, but the grass isn't growing and the soil is still cold and muddy.

 I've started my flower seeds and they have germinated and are ready to grow.  I am nurturing along several varieties of Zinnia, Marigolds, and Portulaca.  Soon I will start some Sunflower seeds and hopefully all will be able to go in the gound in mid April.  That is if we ever get some warmer temps.

 Zinnia seeds up and growing after just 3 days in the potting mix.  I keep the lights on for 14 hours a day and will fertilize regularly until planting time.

If all goes well, and the ground warms up, many of my seedlings will go in the front yard rose garden to add lots of color through the summer.  My job will be to plant and Karen's will be to deadhead.  That is removing the spent blooms to allow more to flower.

 Some newly arrived rose bushes look good and will be going in pots around the patio.  One (named Republic of Texas) already has a yellow flower in bloom.

Hopefully this is the last I will see of snow till sometime in December.  After the brutal February we had, it's good to see that it is all gone now.  Only thing left is MUD.

The fish in the pond are active even though it is still cold out.  They have survived their 3rd winter now are have grown quite a bit from their original 1" to 2" size and many now are over 4" to 5".  We also have babies that were born over a year ago.  We have spotted one frog already and are sure there will be several more in the coming weeks.  The pond attracts several every year.


So, hopefully we will eventually see some spring and then go immediately into summer and everyone will complain.  This year I will do no complaining and enjoy every bit of sun and heat we get.

I will continue to post progress reports..........hang in there!











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